Help me, Stayne
by ninjalynx
Summary: The Red Queen's self-loathing finally gets the better of her and she does something very stupid. It's all up to Stayne to fix things. Red Queen x Stayne OOC NOTE: this is the first fic I ever wrote. I do have this on my Deviantart account, but I'm moving all my fics here to keep them all in one place.
1. Chapter 1: Incident at Crims

Midnight at Salazen Grum.A usually enchanting sight to behold...But not tonight.

As he rode on horseback across the red desert with a half deck of Red Knights marching in unison behind him The Knave Of Hearts dreaded returning to Salazen Grum. Even though the white marble and teracotta spires were a dramatic change of scenery to the over towering mushrooms and thick patches of trees he'd gotten used to there was one thing he couldn't stand at Salazen Grum.

The Queen.

The short tempered, tyrannical and abnormally big headed Red Queen was the only thing he couldn't stand at all. A week long search in the Tulgey Woods for Alice was a short getaway but,to him, searching far and wide to kill a girl who was destined to defeat the woman he loathed seemed a bit of a waste of time. Yes, it was good to be away but Stayne knew that the moment he got back he would soon be caught in the daily routine of Early morning beheadings, Palace inspections and having to frequently cool down the Queen's vicious mood swings.

When he said frequent he meant frequent; Late night, Early morning having to be virtually dragged out of bed to be submitted to long (and often loud) sessions of The Queen's jealous, fault-finding, annoying comments about her supposedly awful little sister.

All her life the Queen had nobody to love her, even her own husband tried to leave her for her sister and The Knave couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for her too but he despised her nonetheless."Of all the people in Salazen Grum why does she need me?" Stayne often thought to himself "It's not my fault she's such a bitch".

His thoughts were disrupted as he soon found himself approaching the heavy drawbridge at the castle dismounted his raven-black stallion and the Red Knights were dispatched to various guardsmen's posts throughout the castle. It was at this point that everything changed for the worse...

It was then that two ladies of the Queen's court rushed to meet him in an entrance corridor; One with a long, tube-like nose and the other with ears so notably large that they could have been mistaken for small dinner plates.  
>"Stayne, thank god you returned in time" Lady large ears said, running up to him with a very despairing look on her face. <p>

"Why?..." he was usually this glad to see him, what was going on? 

"The Queen requires your immediate attention, Stayne, it's urgent" The other woman added. 

"She says that every time" Ilosovic hissed angrily, just quiet enough for the three of them to hear. 

"Desperately Urgent" Lady large ears warned. 

"If she feels just as unwanted as she usually does I could have you both beheaded for lying to me." 

"She feels worse, trust me." 

"Very well" He sighed.

He allowed himself to be led up to the Queen's Bedchamber where upon his arrival the other courtiers who were waiting for him seemed to peer nervously across at him.  
>"Why don't you just tell me what's happened? It would avoid all the fuss" Stayne moaned, shaking off the arm that Lady large ears had been dragging him by."What happened?" He large ears piped up. <p>

"After you left The Queen went into another one of her...moods" She explained akwardly

"She wouldn't go off the subject of how unwanted she felt and we started getting worried" 

"Nothing out of the ordinary then..." 

"No, you don't locked herself away in her bedchamber and nobody went in until this morning." Said a man with a large chin. 

"She hasn't eaten or slept, nobody's seen her" Lady long nose added."And then when a maid found her this morning we couldn't believe she had the strength to...".A sharp nudge in the ribs from lady large ears cut her sentence off. Stayne just went in.

The Queen's bedchamber was unusually was only enough light for him to navigate across the room where the figure of the Queen was lying on her bed in her he approached the four poster he could clearly see that she was lying with her back to him, on top of the was then he noticed that something must have been wrong.

The unbearable sound of gentle sobbing became clearer as he neared her in the turned her head to face him but didn't was sweating, her long Crimson curls akwardly framed the sides of her face and the many thin black trails of eye liner that streaked down her face made her resemble some kind of greif-striken voodoo tried not to laugh at the sight of her, this was a serious matter after all even if she did look like she'd been dragged through a hedgerow backwards.

He sat quietly on the bed next to sat up, clutching a red pillow to her chest like a frightened wasn't going to ask the obvious question "Are you alright, Your Majesty?" because she clearly wasn't.  
>"Ilosovic.." She whimpered helplessly.<br>"Majesty". He removed a glove and brought the back of his had up, stroking the hair from the sides of her face. "What happened?".She didn't say anything but reached behind her and pulled something out from under her 's eyes widened and his mind filled with ghastly ideas at the sight of held out a curved silver dagger in her hand, The Knave recognised it at once.

It was it closer there was a large quantity of blood on the end of it.

He looked up at her nervously and saw that she was starting to cry again.  
><em>"Wait... couldn't...She Hasn't<em>" he thought.  
>Putting two and two together he realised what she had tried to didn't care what he said now, he just wanted to examine the extent of the damage.<br>"Iracebeth... me you didn't...".She nodded at him, tears rolling down her pale the dagger aside he slowly pulled the pillow from her and set it on the end of the Knave turned very front of The Queen's once cream nightgown was covered in vivid red bloodstains."Majesty..."he breathed. 

"Ilosovic..." .She got up and turned away from his concerned gaze, she couldn't bare to look at him. "..Please...".she sobbed.

Slowly The Queen turned to face her Knave again. All he could do was sit and watch as she pulled the nightgown off her shoulders and allowed it to fall to the floor.  
>"Oh my god..." Stayne gasped in disbelief. "What have you done?..."<p>

Lying parallel to one of her ribs,at the bottom of her left breast was a frightfully deep cut. So deep you could see both muscle and bone inside of her. A large piece of flesh literally torn away from her. Harsh cuts where her fingernails had scratched claw marks into the sides of her wound. Long, finger-like tendrils of fresh blood ran down her torso and disappeared along her inner thigh but Stayne didn't let himself be distracted down there. Long, razor thin cuts ran down her forearms and blood dripped from her fingers onto the already crimson carpet with a sickly dripping sound.

He knew what she had tried to do and he knew she had almost succeeded. The sight of her beating heart inside her ribcage was enough to even make the Knave of hearts feel like vomiting.  
>"...Help me" Iracebeth sobbed.<br>Sighing, he carefully pulled the nightdress back up over her chest and steered her back onto the couldn't help but feel sorry for her this time as he looked over her pale, wet did care this time and he had to help her.  
>"I will, My Queen...".He placed a small kiss on her cheek to slow the tears."I now..I'll be back as soon as I can" <p>

"Stayne." She called after him as he left "Fetch me my sister"

Before he knew it Stayne was back on his horse and riding off late into the the red desert, Back through Tulgey woods, South to Snud and through Marmoreal. He didn't stop at all and dawn was just breaking as he reached The white Queen's castle. He considered it a horrid place, how the hell could anyone live anywhere so ...plain?. He barged into the throne room, out of breath and panting. Sure enough the White Queen was sitting on her chequered throne at the far end of the room. He had never seen the white queen and he was astonished at how small she was, even when he knelt at her feet he was the same height as her.  
>"What business do you have here, Ilosovic Stayne?".The Queen asked the abnormally large Knave. <p>

"I come bearing a plea for help From your older sister, is...Gravely ill and has asked-no...she has begged for your assistance." 

"And what makes her think I will oblige?" Judging by her tone of voice she couldn't give a .She's meant to be the nicer of the pair, how could she be so horrid?. 

"I beg you" 

"As I recall I owe neither you or my sister a Kindness. She has usurped me, stolen my rightful crown and sent knights all over the queendom to diminish those who follow me."  
>She rose from her throne. "Leave this place Ilosovic Stayne and please inform my sister that she will receive no help from me". Everyone in the room was shocked, even her courtiers. Two Chessmen appeared behind the Knave and attempted to drag him from the room but he forcefully pushed them away. <p>

"Majesty, if it is against your vows to harm any living creature then why do you not help a member of your own flesh and blood in their time of need? I beseech you, Mirana...help her".Stayne begged. The White Queen turned to leave but he broke free from the guard's clutches and blocked her exit. "Your sister's desire to be loved by someone has nearly killed you help her now then she may feel slightly wanted. It may help heal the wound, not physically but emotionally" 

"Ph...Physically?"

"When was the last time you heard of a Queen, a woman who is looked up to by all her people, who felt so Unwanted, who had no one to love her all her her life?"

"When was the last time you heard of a Queen who's empty heart betrayed her so many times that she attempted to wrench it from her own  
>body?"<p> 


	2. Chapter 2: The Knave of hearts

"Majesty, if it is against your vows to harm any living creature then why do you not help a member of your own flesh and blood in their time of need? I beseech you, Mirana...help her".Stayne begged. The White Queen turned to leave but he broke free from the guard's clutches and blocked her exit. "Your sister's desire to be loved by someone has nearly killed her. If you help her now then she may feel slightly wanted. It may help heal the wound, not physically but emotionally"

"Ph...Physically?"

"When was the last time you heard of a Queen, a woman who is looked up to by all her people, who felt so Unwanted, who had no one to love her all her her life?"

"..."

"When was the last time you heard of a Queen who's empty heart betrayed her so many times that she attempted to wrench it from her own  
>body?"<p>

Mirana looked around the throne room in shock, first at Stayne and then her courtiers who stood behind him. Even as a child Iracebeth had always been Snappy, self-centred and above all commanding; This was the main reason that people avoided her and it had turned her into a tyrannical person, both as a Queen and a woman. Could her emotional and physical needs have changed her enough to even contemplate suicide- let alone attempt it?  
>It would have been against all she believed to not aid a dying woman, no matter how much she hated her.<br>"...Ready my horse" She ordered.

A matter of minutes later The White Queen, along with her most accomplished healer, And the Knave of Hearts were both riding at full speed down the long, white-bricked roadway that led out of on her White steed and Stayne on his jet black one rode out across the plains of Underland followed closely by the healer and a few "Precautionary" White knights. It may not have been the same for the Mirana but all that Stayne hoped for on their long journey was that they weren't too late to help his Queen.

"_Why do I feel like this? She's never done anything to help me so why should I help her? ...This is just weird"_ Stayne found himself thinking as his journey came to a quick close and he found himself riding at full speed towards Salazen Grum once more. In his absence the Intimidating air of the area seemed more...eerie; More...sad...than it was usually, Almost as if the Palace knew that it's Queen was dying. Even The Knave felt insecure in this new and seemingly alien environment.

Both horses were soon given a stable and put to rest while their owners and the White Knights hurried up to where the Queen was sleeping. Bursting in through the door both Ilosovic and Mirana ran to The Red Queens bedside. Though her unspeakable wound had sealed somewhat and her internal organs were no longer visible Iracebeth was still losing large quantities of blood. She was even paler than she had been previously and looked as though she were inches from fainting. The white healer, a small frail man with a trailing white beard, stepped forward to examine the damage.  
>"Can you help her?" Stayne asked impatiently as the old man lifted the front of Iracebeth's nightdress and peered at the gaping flesh wound through thick, half moon spectacles. <p>

"Oh, Racie! Whatever have you done to yourself?" Mirana asked, wincing in disgust at the extent of the pain her sister had caused her surprise Iracebeth took her sister's hand in hers as she spoke weakly, her eyes fluttering open. 

"M...Mirie...is that you?"  
>Her breathing was slow and raspy and it almost pained them all to listen. <p>

"Yes, Yes Racie I'm here" 

"A class Three Hemorrhage" The healer spoke neither Mirana or Ilosovic spoke fluent doctor. 

"I take it that's bad" 

"Extremely bad.I..I could attempt to seal the ..".He looked directly at Stayne

"She has lost more than half the blood from her body, Ilosovic Stayne...she's very weak" 

"Will she survive?" The White Queen asked hopefully. 

"...I'll try my best".With that the old healer left the room momentarily to gather the things he needed.

So the pair sat, paralysed in sadness at the sight of the frail Queen that lay before them.A Short silence was broken by a small cry of pain from the dying woman. 

"Majesty?" Stayne asked. 

"Iracebeth are you alright?". The Queen of Marmoreal grasped her sister's hand tighter.  
>Her voice grew weaker by the second. <p>

"M...Mirana" 

"Yes, sister?" 

"...I'll say hello to mummy and daddy for you...". 

Iracebeth allowed her eyes to slowly shut and her head to fall back gently on to her took a few seconds for Mirana to register what she'd meant. 

"R...Racie?...".She looked up at put two fingers on her left wrist and waited.

"Please, tell me she isn't..." 

"Her heartbeat's slowing down" 

"...Wait here".She got up quickly and ran out of the darkened room 

"Does it look like i'm going anywhere!? honestly...Iracebeth...Your Majesty, can you hear me?".Obviously there came no dull pulse he could feel in her tiny wrist was slowing even his own with a Queen who was obviously dying, her mouth open in desperation and pressing his own lips to her thin,cold ones he tried to breathe the life back into repeating this several times he could neither see nor feel any apparent difference."Oh please, no".Putting a collosal hand on the small of her back he lifted her limp body into is arms, Held her head up into his was almost certain this wouldn't make a difference either but nonetheless...he leaned down to her.  
>"Don't you dare die on me now, Iracebeth of Crims, Don't give up this easily-don't even think about it.".<p>

Wait...What was he saying?

"You don't deserve this, not after what you've done to Iracebeth, If you can still hear me-"  
>Mirana ran back into the room with the healer, who could hardly see where he was going because of his armful of small boxes and they came running over to them Stayne spoke gently.<br>"...Your Knave needs you..."  
>He placed a discreet kiss on her forehead and retreated, leaving the Queen's healer to do his work.<p>

Stayne didn't care where he ran just wanted to get as far away from the scene as he balled into fists at his sides he barged through the rabble of courtiers awaiting him outside the wandered the intricate maze of castle corridors for about ten minutes before arriving at the rose gardens, where he stopped and took his time to look 'd never realised how beautiful the castle gardens could be, especially at near a fountain he took a knife from his belt and cut a large red rose from the nearest to the ground at the foot of the fountain with a sigh he sat on the damp grass, twirling the stem of the rose cutting around in his lost track of time after a while...sitting on the grass beneath the stars, secretly punishing himself had betrayed his queen, for the first time in they first met he promised he would always be there for her but he allowed himself to leave her side long enough for her to do he was distracted from his thoughts when he heard the palace clock chime threw the rose down into the waters of the fountain and watched as each petal drifted away before he silently made his way to bed.

11:30 in Salazen Grum and Stayne was now standing on the balcony in his 'd removed his breastplate and was standing in the cool summer breeze, letting it dry his tears when there was a knock at his door creaked open and lady large ears was standing eyed her up and down before slamming the door on her.  
>"Alright, you're tired, I see.I suppose you wouldn't be interested in the fact that the Queen wants to speak with you".A satisfied grin crossed her face as the door slowly opened again. <p>

"What?" 

"She's waiting in her bedchamber for you".  
>Stayne didn't bother to put his armour back quickly made his way down the corridor, slamming his door behind him and made his way upstairs.<p>

Taking a deep breath Stayne entered the bedchamber again, expecting to see Iracebeth, feeling better, and waiting to speak with is why he was disappointed to just see Mirana sitting on the end of the empty he ever saw lady large ears again He'd kill her.  
>"Ilosovic...".She patted the empty space on the bed next to her. <p>

"I prefer to stand".She looked at him angrily, he didn't care. 

"Of all the luck in Underland I had to be the one that left her on her own..." 

"Don't blame yourself, Ilosovic." 

"I have to...She trusted me and I let her do that to herself" 

"Things will be alright for you...trust me.".There was a short silence."To save you the trouble I'm going back to Marmoreal tonight.I trust you aren't in the mood to accomodate visitors." 

"Thank you for being so conciderate your Majesty...I bid you a safe journey".He bowed his head to her as she got up and left the room.

Stayne sadly walked out onto the Queen's could have sworn he heard someone enter the room behind him but he didn't turn, Nor did he gazed up at the starlit skies of Underland and sighed for the millionth time in two was it...His Queen was gone, Her sister would rise to power, he would be reduced to nothing and it was all his fault.

_'Of all the people...`_he thought.  
>"Somebody up there has got it in for me..." He said quietly to himself as he stared distractedly skyward. He chuckled. "I bet it's Iracebeth".He could feel a cold hand reach up to his shoulder. <p>

"That's the first time I've heard you call me by my first name"  
>Stayne turned.A very pale Red Queen was standing behind him on the balcony. <p>

"My Queen" He breathed "You're-" 

"Yes, Stayne I'm still alive..."  
>He smiled down at her as she stood at his side. "You did tell me not to give up too easily..." <p>

"You...You heard me?"  
>" I may not have been able to hear you but the message got through somehow...All of it...every word.".She couldn't see his face that well in the dark but she could swear her Knave of Hearts was blushing.<br>"There's one thing I've learned from all this, Your Majesty.."  
>"Oh?"<br>"You never know how much you love something until you nearly lose it..."  
>She blushed slightly and slowly wrapped her arms around his waist in a long "Thank you Stayne" hug before changing the subject.<p>

"You saved my life, Stayne...You brought me help when I needed it most...If there's anything I can do for you...just tell me."  
>His previous thoughts flashed back into mind, how he had left her to hurt herself like that, how he blamed himself for what had happened, How he wasn't there for her as he had promised. And above all how he had missed her when he believed she was gone forever. Thinking this over slowly in his mind he realised why he felt like this and he realised why he cared... <p>

"Just do something for me, Majesty.." 

"Yes?"  
>The Knave slowly lifted his queen up to him and captured them in a soft, passionate kiss. As they broke apart, both gasping for breath he whispered softly.<br>"Forgive me..."


End file.
